The Miller Center is a nonpartisan affiliate of the University of Virginia that specializes in presidential scholarship, public policy and political history and strives to apply the lessons of history to the nation’s most pressing contemporary governance challenges. more →

Welcome to the Miller Center

From presidents Carter, George H.W. Bush, Clinton, and George W. Bush.

Contact Us

President Gerald Rudolph Ford

August 27, 1974

Source: The Library of Congress

After serving in World War II, Gerald Ford returned home to Grand Rapids, Michigan, to practice law. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1948, a position he held for the next 24 years. In 1973, President Richard Nixon selected Ford as his vice president. Ford held that position until ascending to the presidency himself following Nixon’s resignation in August 1974.